Xi’an to join China’s visa waiver scheme

Xi’an to join China’s visa waiver scheme

Ancient Chinese city to offer 72 hours of visa-free travel to transit tourists

Ancient Chinese city to offer 72 hours of visa-free travel to transit tourists

Xi’an

The ancient Chinese city of Xi’an will become the latest destination to offer 72 hours of visa-free travel to international tourists.

The capital of Shaanxi province, which is home to the world famous Terracotta Warriors, will allow passengers transiting through Xi’an Xianyang International Airport to stay in the city for three days without obtaining a visa prior to arrival, as long as they have an onward ticket for a flight to a third destination, departing within 72 hours of their arrival.

The scheme is available to citizens of 45 countries, including the all EU member states, the US, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Brunei, Russia, Ukraine, Qatar and the UAE.

Xi’an becomes the ninth Chinese city to offer the service, following Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Kunming, Chongqing, Dalian and Shenyang.

Shaanxi province welcomed 285 million tourists in 2013, 797,000 of whom entered through Xianyang Airport. The new policy is expected to come into force in the next two months.